Funding a hot topic at harbor strategic plan meeting

NEW BEDFORD — Harbor stakeholders voiced concerns Monday night about how planned improvements to New Bedford Harbor could compete with other projects for funding.

ARIEL WITTENBERG

NEW BEDFORD — Harbor stakeholders voiced concerns Monday night about how planned improvements to New Bedford Harbor could compete with other projects for funding.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation last week released a strategic plan for the Port of New Bedford that would include improvements to State Pier, additional dredging and potentially expanding the Popes Island Bridge.

Those making public comments at a meeting to discuss the plan Monday night said they supported its recommendations but questioned how realistic funding them would be.

William Roth, town planner for Fairhaven, noted that maritime projects are more challenging and more expensive to pull off than some of MassDOT's other projects and suggested the state agency create a "designated funding mechanism" for port projects.

"We shouldn't have to compete with highways and bridges for funding," Roth said. "They are very cumbersome projects compared to building highways, and we don't want that to mean ports don't get funding."

Jim Kendall of New Bedford Seafood Consulting agreed, noting that MassDOT's logo includes a bus, a highway, a bike and a car but no boats.

"A lot of people see the fishing industry as going away. We're hurting in a lot of ways but New Bedford is the number one port in the country," he said. "If we lose infrastructure investment, we'll have a much harder time."

"The question is how these projects are going to fit into MassDOT," he said.

Jeffrey Stieb, executive director of the Harbor Development Commission, suggested that projects should be prioritized for funding based on their abilities to create private sector jobs and build cargo capacity in the commonwealth.

He said that investment decisions should be made "based on expected return on investment and not left to the uncertainties and imprecision of the political process."

Of the nine recommendations made in the strategic plan, proposed improvements to State Pier received the most attention from the roughly 40 people attending Monday's meeting.

Jim Barker, president of Seastreak Ferry, described the investments in State Pier as critical to his own company's private investment in New Bedford.

"There have always been issues with the foundation of the pier," he said. "In order to make long-term investments, for us, we need the infrastructure to be there. The state needs to support private investments."

Jono Billings, who owns the Cuttyhunk Ferry Co., agreed.

"Everything they buy on that island comes from New Bedford," he said. "We may be a small company, but the state's help and cooperation is vital to us and we appreciate it."